May 18 Saturday
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 20247:30 PMMÉLISSE BRUNET, Music Director
LexPhil’s powerful season finale opens with the Kentucky premiere of Soul of Remembrance, the second movement of composer and pianist Mary D. Watkins’ Five Movements in Color for full orchestra. Watkins describes Soul of Remembrance as “the collective moan of a profound grief felt by the newly-arrived Africans, who found themselves in a strange land, dealing with the loss of the only life they had known and leaving behind the comforts of family and friends.”
Then, a highlight of the season, LexPhil will present the world premiere of Composer-in-Residence Shawn E. Okpebholo’s Two Black Churches, a LexPhil co-commissioned arrangement for full orchestra featuring acclaimed baritone Will Liverman. This poignant work, originally scored for piano and baritone and commissioned by Will Liverman, reflects on the racist attacks on the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, and the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. The season concludes with Saint-Saëns triumphant Symphony No. 3, known as the “Organ Symphony,” featuring the resonant power of Singletary Center’s pipe organ.
Prior to Two Black Churches, join us for a free pre-concert lecture with Music Director Mélisse Brunet for an exclusive, in-depth look Inside the Score at 6:30PM in the Presidents Room. Seating is limited, so arrive early!
Tickets on sale now at lexphil.org/two-black-churches
Jun 08 Saturday
The Center for Old Music in the New World and Musick’s Company present Spring Dances, Saturday June 8th at a NEW time and location – 4 pm at Crestwood Christian Church. Join us for a spring celebration of 12th – 18th century music featuring excerpts from Rameau’s hybrid opera-ballet Les fêtes d’Hébé with dancer Adalhi Aranda, as well as a bouquet of Shaker tunes and exuberant pieces by Morley, Greaves, Hassler, Susato and Boismortier. Admission by suggested donation of $10. 1882 Bellefonte Dr. Lexington, KY.
Jun 09 Sunday
Lexington Chamber Chorale's Past and Present Miniature Masterpieces
Kentucky’s composers and poets of past and present populate the Chorale’s final season concert, Past and Present Miniature Masterpieces. A time-honored Chorale tradition, this blending of spoken word and song pays tribute to the musical and literary history of Kentucky with an eye on its present and future. This free concert, in the beautiful outdoor setting at Ashland, concludes with a preview of repertoire for our 2024-2025 season.
Sunday, June 9 (rain date on June 10) 2024, 5:00 p.m. Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate
Tickets: general $25 and students $10 at the door and at lexingtonchamberchorale.org.